WINONA, Miss. (WCBI) — A 35-year-old Winona man will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The state Court of Appeals has denied Joel Baskin’s appeal of his life sentence without parole for cocaine possession. He was sentenced as a habitual offender because of prior felony convictions.

He was convicted by a Montgomery County Circuit Court jury in April 2011.

In his appeal, Baskin argued Winona Police found almost three grams of cocaine on him during an illegal search. But the appeals court rejected that claim, noting the cocaine was discovered after he was arrested on a separate aggravated assault charge.